Recipes Tried and True — Edition Insights

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In Category - Recipes

Authors: First Presbyterian Church (Marion, Ohio). Ladies' Aid Society Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 1997 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Cooking, American Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 38,618

Reading time 168 min

Text sections 5

This digital edition of Recipes Tried and True — Edition Insights is described by source-level measurements including 38,618 words, 2 hr 48 min estimated reading time, and 5 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 18.3 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Cooking, American,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #1084

This 1894 community cookbook from Marion, Ohio, offers over 300 recipes contributed by local women, with a preface acknowledging their first venture in bookmaking. The collection includes menus for Sunday breakfast, Thanksgiving dinner, and summer family meals, alongside cakes, breads, and preserves using ingredients like hickory nuts and dried apples.

Editorial Edition Score 4.6/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

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Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg1084

Read the Text

Scanned and proofed by Ron Burkey (rburkey@heads-up.com) and Amy Thomte. Items in [brackets] are editorial comments added in proofing.

RECIPES TRIED AND TRUE.

COMPILED BY THE LADIES' AID SOCIETY OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MARION, OHIO.

"We may live without poetry, music, and art; We may live without conscience, and live without heart; We may live without friends; we may live without books; But civilized man cannot live without cooks." --OWEN MEREDITH

MARION, OHIO: PRESS OF KELLEY MOUNT. 1894.

Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1894 by the LADIES' AID SOCIETY OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MARION, OHIO. In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.

To the Mothers, Wives, Sisters and Sweethearts of the Good Men of America this Book is Dedicated by the "TRUE BLUES."

Although in putting forth this little book we do not claim that we are filling a "Long felt want," yet we do feel that its many tried and true recipes from our own housekeepers will be very welcome. We also believe that it will not only be welcomed by those who recognize the names and merits of the various contributors, but by all housekeepers, young and old. There can never be too many helps for those who, three times a day, must meet and answer the imperative question, "What shall we eat?"

To the many who have helped so willingly in the compilation of this book, the Editorial Committee would extend a grateful acknowledgment.

For the literary part of the work, we would beg your indulgence, since for each of us it is the first venture in the making of a book.

"All the labor of man is for his mouth, And yet the appetite is not filled." --SOLOMON.

SUNDAY BREAKFAST (WINTER). MRS. T. H. LINSLEY.

Oat Meal. Boston Brown Bread. Boston Baked Beans. Coffee.

PLAIN DINNER. EUGENE DE WOLFE.

Tomato Soup. Boiled Fish. Lemon Sauce. Roast Lamb. Mint Sauce. Stewed Tomatoes. Sweet Potatoes. Spanish Cream. Coffee.

PLAIN DINNER. EUGENE DE WOLFE.

Bouillon. Boiled Spring Chicken. New Potatoes. New Peas. Lettuce, Mayonnaise Dressing. Rhubarb Pie. Cheese. Crackers. Coffee.

OLD-FASHIONED THANKSGIVING DINNER. GAIL HAMILTON.

Roast Turkey, Oyster Dressing. Cranberry Sauce. Mashed Potatoes. Baked Corn. Olives. Peaches. Pumpkin Pie. Mince Pie. Fruit. Cheese. Coffee.

FAMILY DINNERS FOR A WEEK IN SUMMER. OZELLA SEFFNER.

Green Corn Soup. Salmon and Green Peas. Roast Beef. Tomatoes. New Potatoes. Strawberry Ice Cream. Cake. Coffee. Iced Tea.

Lamb Chops. Mint Sauce. Potatoes. Escaloped Onions. Cucumber Salad. Orange Pudding.

Veal Soup. Fried Chicken. Green Peas. Rice Croquettes. Strawberries and Cream.

Broiled Beef Steak. Potato Croquettes. String Beans. Tomato Salad. Fruit Jelly. Cream Pie.

Potato Soup. Roast Veal. Baked Potatoes. Beet Salad. Asparagus. Strawberry Shortcake.

Boiled Fish. Egg Sauce. Lamb Chops. Peas. Escaloped Potatoes. Lettuce, Mayonnaise. Raspberry Iced Tea.

Chicken Pot Pie, with Dumplings. Spinach. Cucumber Salad. Radishes. Lemonade.

PLAIN FAMILY DINNERS FOR A WEEK IN WINTER. OZELLA SEFFNER.

Cracker-Ball Soup. Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. Creamed Potatoes. Celery. Mince Pie. Apricot Ice Cream. Cheese. Coffee or Chocolate.

Cold Roast Beef. Mashed Potatoes. Cabbage Slaw. Pickles. Plain Plum Pudding. Cheese. Tea.

Tomato Soup. Leg of Mutton. Caper Sauce. Baked Potatoes. Stewed Turnips. Apple Pudding. Coffee or Tea.

Lemon Bouillon. Baked Fish, with Drawn Butter. Roast Chicken. Potatoes. Boiled Onions. Pickles or Olives. Cottage Pudding.

Roast Beef Soup. Stewed Tomatoes. Mashed Potatoes. Boiled Rice. Turnips. Troy Pudding. Egg Sauce.

Corn Soup. Chicken Pie. French Peas. Stewed Potatoes. Cream Slaw. Suet Pudding.

Boiled Corn Beef, with Vegetables. Pork and Beans. Pickles. Indian Pudding. Cream Sauce.

BREAKFASTS. Fall and Winter.

1. Melon. Fried Mush. Fried Oysters. Potatoes. Rolls. Coffee or Cocoa.

2. Melon or Fruit. Graham Cakes. Maple Syrup. New Pickles. Broiled Steak. Corn Oysters. Coffee or Cocoa.

3. Melon or Fruit. Fried Oat Meal Mush. Syrup. Bacon, Dipped in Eggs. Fried Potatoes. Coffee.

4. Oranges. Warm Biscuit. Jelly. Broiled Oysters on Toast. Rice Balls. Coffee.

5. Oranges. Mackerel. Fried Potatoes. Ham Toast. Muffins.

6. Breakfast Bacon. Corn Griddle Cakes. Syrup. Boiled Eggs. Baked Potatoes.

1. Fruit. Muffins. Ham. Eggs. Radishes. Onions. Coffee.

2. Fruit. Light Biscuit. Breakfast Bacon. Scrambled Eggs. Fried Potatoes. Coffee.

3. Fruit. Corn Meal Muffins. Veal Cutlets. French Toast. Radishes. New Onions. Coffee.

4. Strawberries. Lamb Chops. Cream Potatoes. Graham Muffins. Coffee.

5. Raspberries. Oat Meal and Cream. Sweet Breads. Sliced Tomatoes. Hamburg Steak. Fried Potatoes. Coffee.

6. Berries. Breakfast Bacon, Dipped in Butter and Fried. Sliced Tomatoes. Baked Potatoes. Muffins. Coffee.

A FEW PLAIN DINNERS. GAIL HAMILTON.

1. Tomato Soup. Cranberry Sauce. Roast Pork, with Dressing. Potatoes. Peas.

DESSERT--Fruit and Cake. Coffee.

2. Vegetable Soup. Beef Steak and Gravy. Macaroni, with Cheese.

DESSERT--Cake and Lemon Pudding. Coffee.

3. Clam Soup. Boiled Chicken. Potatoes. Lettuce, Mayonnaise Dressing.

DESSERT--Strawberry Shortcake, with Strawberry Sauce. Coffee. Crackers. Cheese.

"A hasty plate of soup"

Continue Reading →

The 1894 Recipes Tried and True opens with a dedication “To the Mothers, Wives, Sisters and Sweethearts of the Good Men of America” by the “True Blues,” immediately signaling its dual purpose: a community fundraiser and a domestic reference. The preface admits this is the editorial committee’s “first venture in the making of a book,” a disclaimer that invites readers to approach the text with an appreciation for its earnest, collaborative spirit rather than polished prose.

The book’s structure is revealed early: a section of “Menus” offers full-day plans for winter Sundays, plain dinners, and an old-fashioned Thanksgiving, each attributed to a named contributor. These menus, such as Gail Hamilton’s “Roast Turkey, Oyster Dressing” and Ozella Seffner’s week-long summer dinners, provide a window into late-19th-century domestic economy and seasonal eating.

Menus as Social Documents

The opening menu section is more than a list of dishes; it is a record of social expectations and resource management. Mrs. T. H. Linsley’s winter Sunday breakfast—oatmeal, Boston brown bread, baked beans, and coffee—suggests a hearty, no-fuss meal before church. In contrast, Eugene de Wolfe’s “Plain Dinner” includes tomato soup, boiled fish with lemon sauce, roast lamb, and Spanish cream, revealing that “plain” could mean a multi-course affair. Gail Hamilton’s Thanksgiving menu (turkey with oyster dressing, two pies, fruit, cheese, coffee) shows how holiday feasts balanced tradition with abundance.

These menus also hint at the contributors’ social circles. The inclusion of “Iced Tea” in a summer Sunday dinner (Ozella Seffner) and the repeated use of coffee in every meal reflect regional and period norms. Readers can trace how the same household might vary meals by season and occasion, from Monday’s lamb chops to Friday’s boiled fish.

Cake Recipes: Precision and Variation

The cake recipes dominate the excerpts and illustrate the era’s baking conventions. Mrs. T. H. Linsley’s Lemon Cake calls for “salaratus” (baking soda) dissolved in milk, a technique that predates modern baking powder. Marble Cake by Mrs. C. H. Williams and Mrs. Elizabeth McCurdy provides separate instructions for light and dark batters, then directs the cook to “drop a spoon of light and then one of dark in the pan,” a method that relies on visual judgment rather than precise layering.

Mrs. U. F. Seffner’s Pound Cake uses a pound each of butter, sugar, and flour, with ten eggs and rose water—a formula that assumes the cook can gauge a “moderate oven” and knows to line the pan with paper. Mrs. Eliza Bowen’s Loaf Cake, which begins with bread dough and yeast, requires an overnight rise and “beat for a long time,” emphasizing patience and physical labor. These recipes assume a reader already familiar with basic techniques, offering only skeletal guidance.

Ingredient Economy and Substitutions

Several recipes reveal a pragmatic approach to ingredients. Mrs. O. W. Weeks’ “Mother’s Old-Fashioned Cake” offers an explicit substitution: “If sour cream is not used, take instead one cup of milk, and one-half cup of butter.” This flexibility suggests that cooks were expected to adapt based on what was on hand. Mrs. Frank Arrowsmith’s Raisin Cake instructs to “pour boiling water on the raisins, and let stand a few minutes before stoning them,” a time-saving tip that also softens the fruit.

Mrs. W. H. Eckhart’s Dried Apple Fruit Cake is particularly resourceful: dried apples are soaked overnight, cooked slowly in molasses, then combined with a standard fruit-cake base. The recipe spans two days, with the apple mixture cooling overnight before final assembly. Such instructions imply a kitchen rhythm where long preparations were routine, and waste was minimized by using preserved fruits.

Voice and Attribution

Every recipe is credited to a named woman, often with her husband’s initials (e.g., Mrs. T. H. Linsley, Mrs. U. F. Seffner). This attribution pattern reflects the social structure of the Ladies’ Aid Society: the women are identified by their marital status and spouse’s name, yet the book itself is compiled by the collective “True Blues.” The preface thanks contributors “who have helped so willingly,” framing the book as a cooperative endeavor.

The literary epigraphs—Owen Meredith’s poem about cooks and Solomon’s proverb on appetite—add a layer of self-aware humor. The dedication to “the Good Men of America” playfully acknowledges the intended audience of male breadwinners, while the recipes themselves are clearly written by and for women managing households. This tension between deference and competence gives the text a distinctive, understated voice.

Readers approaching Recipes Tried and True should treat it as a historical artifact as much as a cooking manual. The recipes assume a working knowledge of fire management, ingredient behavior, and seasonal availability that modern cooks may need to reconstruct. Pay attention to the named contributors: each recipe is a signed testimony to a specific kitchen. The menus, in particular, reward close reading for what they reveal about daily life in 1890s Ohio—from the centrality of coffee to the careful orchestration of a week’s meals.

The rain kept me indoors with Recipes Tried and True, its faded pages smelling of hickory and dried apples. I lingered over the Sunday breakfast menus, imagining slow mornings in Marion. That quiet mood carried me—almost without noticing—to a slimmer volume on the shelf, Breakfast dainties — A Closer Reading, where the same patient warmth seemed to wait, like steam on a windowpane.